I den här avhandlingen studeras Europeiska kommissionens kommunikativa praktiker i ljuset av de pressmeddelanden som dagligen distribueras till världens största presskår i Bryssel, men också via internet till andra journalister och allmänheten. Övergripande syften med avhandlingen är att beskriva textproduktionen i denna en av världens största textproducenter och att lyfta fram den, hittills förvånansvärt osynliga, språkliga dimensionen av kommissionens kommunikation. Avhandlingen tar avstamp i ett dialogiskt perspektiv på kommunikation, där kommunikation förstås som en dynamisk process i vilken människor (sam)agerar i ett givet sammanhang. Avgörande blir således att se pressmeddelandena som en del av den produktions- och distributionskontext de ingår i, både på lokal nivå och på en mer övergripande institutionell nivå. Empiriskt bygger avhandlingen på fältstudier vid Europeiska kommissionen och textanalyser av pressmeddelanden från kommissionen och från franska och svenska departement. Pressmeddelandena studeras både som process och produkt: formuleringsprocesser å ena sidan och textmönster och tempusbruk å den andra. Som ett exempel detaljstuderas produktionen av två pressmeddelanden mot bakgrund av skribenternas förklaringar och motiveringar till sina ändringar. Med sin unika inblick i hur ett pressmeddelande blir till steg för steg och av olika aktörer utgör denna del ett viktigt bidrag till forskningen om pressmeddelanden, som först på senare år blivit mer processinriktad. De olika delstudierna ger alla vid handen att kommissionen, enkelt uttryckt, måste arbeta mer för att underbygga sin argumentation och för att göra sina initiativ mer begripliga, legitima och motiverade. Detta kan i stor utsträckning tillskrivas den mer komplicerade kommunikationssituationen som gäller för kommissionen i förhållande till de nationella departement som är jämförelsematerial i studien. / The thesis investigates the European Commission’s communicative practices in the light of the press releases that are distributed daily to the world’s largest press corps in Brussels and on the Internet to other journalists and the general public. The overall aim of the thesis is to describe the text production of one of the largest text producers in the world and to highlight the linguistic dimensions of the Commission’s communicative practices, which until now have received little scholarly attention. The study adopts a dialogical perspective on communication, where communication is understood as a dynamic process in which people interact in a given context. This means that the press releases are seen as parts of the production and distribution context in which they are embedded, both on a local level and on a more general institutional level. The empirical data on which the study is based comprise field studies at the European Commission and text analyses of press releases issued by the Commission and French and Swedish ministries. The press releases are analysed on different linguistic levels, text pattern and the use of tense, on the one hand, and composition processes on the other. As an example, the production of two press releases is studied in detail, in view of the authors’ comments to and motivations for changes to the texts. With its unique insight into how a press release is drafted step by step and by the different parties involved this part of the thesis is an important contribution to research on press releases, which only recently has become more oriented towards the production process. The results of the analyses highlight the fact that the Commission, to a greater extent than the national ministries, must substantiate its argumentation and make its initiatives more comprehensible, legitimate, and motivated. This finding may be ascribed to the more complex communication situation of the Commission, compared to the national ministries, which served as material for comparison in the study.

The Master's thesis describes and analyses the legislation of the on-site inspections conducted by the Czech Office for the Protection of Competition and the European Commission. The competition authorities may investigate business and other premises in order to find evidence proving the violation of competition rules. The on- site inspection or so called dawn raid is a main investigative and the most effective tool of the competition authorities in proceedings concerning the possible breach of competition law. The main aim of this thesis is to provide a detailed description of the relevant legislation and case law, to highlight any legal issues connected with on-site inspections and offer solutions of these issues, and finally to examine guarantees of the fundamental rights of the undertakings during the inspection. The thesis consists of eight chapters. Chapter One and Two are introductory and describe basic terms connected with the competition law. In Chapter Three the thesis deals with the scope of relevant Czech and EU legislation. Chapter Four is concerned with the guarantees of fundamental rights within on-site inspections. This chapter comprehensively describes and analyses relevant decisional practice of the European Court of Human Rights, Czech and EU courts, in which those courts...

La Direction générale responsable de l’aide humanitaire de la Commission européenne(DG ECHO) est un acteur particulier des relations internationales. Sa singularité est marquée par une institutionnalisation progressive et par un fonctionnement distinct au sein des institutions européennes.L’étude de la stratégie qu’elle a élaborée pour lutter contre la malnutrition au Sahel révèle tout particulièrement les forces, les faiblesses, mais aussi les opportunités et les contraintes de l’aide humanitaire de la Commission européenne. À la lumière de cette stratégie, la DG ECHO est parvenue à promouvoir une approche crédible et reconnue afin de combattre la malnutrition. Néanmoins, l’enjeu sécuritaire que représente ce phénomène expose les vulnérabilités de la Commission européenne, à plus forte raison dans le contexte volatil du Sahel. Le manque de cohérence des actions extérieures et l’administration de l’Union européenne se révèlent particulièrement contraignants.Pourtant, l’autorité et la maturité dont fait preuve la DG ECHO, notamment dans la dimension nutritionnelle de l’aide, lui offrent la légitimité d’exister et le privilège d’être devenu un acte urfondamental, voire incontournable, du système humanitaire. La plus-value qu’elle apporte repose sur l’expertise de son personnel mais aussi sur un partenariat original avec des opérateurs spécialisés. Au terme de deux décennies d’existence, la DG ECHO s’affirme et exerce une influence croissante sur la scène européenne, où elle contribue à la construction de l’identité de l’Union, mais aussi internationale. / The European Commission Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) has become a unique actor in international relations. Its singularity is defined by a progressive institutionalisation and a proper functioning within the European institutions. In particular, the study of the strategy ECHO has developed to fight malnutrition in the Sahel reveals the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the constraints of the European Commission humanitarian aid system. Indeed, ECHO has succeeded in promoting a credible and recognized policy to combat malnutrition. However, the security challenge posed by malnutrition exposes the European Commission’s vulnerabilities, which are heightened in the volatile environment of the Sahel. The lack of coherence of the EuropeanUnion external actions and administration are particularly constraining. Though, the authority and maturity displayed by ECHO, specifically in the nutritional dimensions of aid, has increased its legitimacy to exist and to be a key player in the humanitarian aid system. The added value it provides is based on the expertise of its staff,but also on a unique system of partnerships with specialized operators. Twenty years after its creation, ECHO has asserted itself and has a growing influence on the international and European scene, where it contributes to the construction of the EU identity.

The issue of environmental risks from the pharmaceutical endocrine disrupter 17 alpha-ethinyl oestradiol (EE2), which is an active ingredient in the contraceptive pill, confronts government responsibilities for citizens' health with potential environmental risks from its presence in aquatic ecosystems. Further to a risk appraisal process conducted under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) between 2006 and 2012, the European Commission recommended the imposition of an environmental quality standard for EE2. In 2013, this recommendation was rejected by politicians. The outcome was both contested and commended. The UK Government was particularly vehement in its opposition and claimed that the risk assessment process for EE2 was not robust. The UK Government also insisted that it had swayed opinion of other EU Member States to convince them that action for EE2 was not proportionate given the extremely elevated costs of risk control options. At the present time, environmental policy for EE2 and other endocrine disrupters remains resolutely ineffective. Despite three distinct policy interventions recommending precautionary action for EE2 during the past twenty years, emissions of this potent, oestrogenic endocrine disrupter continue unabated. This thesis explains why European politicians rejected the European Commission’s risk governance recommendations for EE2 in 2013 under the Water Framework Directive. This comprises its principal empirical contribution. A novel analytical framework which draws on insights from the policy sciences, risk governance and wicked problems literature is developed. This framework is employed to determine whether the policy outcome for EE2, and the decision-making processes that preceded it, were legitimate. The research findings in this respect advance understanding of the implications of specific properties of wicked problems, of which it is argued, EE2 is an example, for the legitimacy of decision-making processes during the risk appraisal and political phases of policy development in Europe. This comprises the principle theoretical contribution of the thesis. Recommendations to promote more effective and legitimate policy development for wicked problems in similar multi-level governance contexts are also made.

This study involves a critical appraisal of the legal implications of South Africa’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the context of its international and regional human rights obligations. The dissertation also investigates the history and formation of the ICC, South Africa’s involvement and its role as a guardian of international and regional human rights obligations in Africa. The study reviews the circumstances leading to South Africa’s notice of withdrawal from the ICC, including the legal implications and international human rights obligations. This inquiry considers South Africa’s proposed withdrawal from the ICC which is supported by points of departure and a comprehensive literature review. The decision to withdraw from the ICC is considered to be a political one. However, this study raises questions about the executive’s withdrawal in regard to its domestic, regional and international human rights obligations, irrespective of whether it is a member of the ICC. The study surveys the background to South Africa’s participation in the ICC, its membership of the African Union and the implications of ICC membership including the obligations imposed on member states. / Criminal and Procedural Law / LL. M.

La thèse vise à examiner les politiques d'aide au développement de l'Union européenne (UE) et leur impact sur les conditions politiques, économiques, sécuritaires et sociales dans le Territoire palestinien occupé (TPO). De plus, elle vise à répondre à la question de savoir si ces politiques ont concrètement contribué à la construction d'une économie palestinienne solide conduisant à l'établissement d'un État palestinien, ou si elles étaient seulement des politiques destinées à protéger un processus de paix, délabré en permanence, et à maintenir le statu quo de l'occupation tout en répondant aux exigences de survie de la population palestinienne. L'étude met en lumière l'évolution de la politique d'aide européenne au peuple palestinien en accordant de l'intérêt à l'évolution de la politique étrangère de l'UE envers le conflit palestino-israélien et aux institutions en charge de la coopération au développement avec les pays tiers au sein de l'Union. La présente recherche a pour objet l'aide accordée par l'UE aux Palestiniens pour la période s'étendant de 1993 à 2014. Elle met en évidence un ensemble de résultats, dont le plus important est que cette aide a joué un rôle éminent afin d'éviter l'effondrement de l'Autorité nationale palestinienne (ANP) et d'aider le peuple palestinien. Elle s'est diversifiée au cours des années, en quantité et en qualité, afin de s'adapter à la situation politique, économique et humanitaire dans le TPO. Elle a contribué aux réformes réussies effectuées par l'ANP dans plusieurs secteurs, et elle a davantage soutenu les plans nationaux palestiniens de développement. Pourtant, cette aide n'a réussi ni à freiner les politiques de dé-développement pratiquées systématiquement par l'occupation, ni à mettre de la pression sur Israël. Cette recherche souligne que cette aide ne réalisera pas ses objectifs, notamment celui de l'établissement d'un État palestinien viable coexistant avec l’État d'Israël en paix et en sécurité, tant que l'UE n'utilisera pas son pouvoir économique et ne transformera pas sa rhétorique en actions concrètes sur le terrain. / The study aims to examine the policies of development aid of the European Union (EU) and their impact on the political, economic, security and social conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). In addition, it seeks to answer the question whether these policies have helped to build a strong Palestinian economy leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state, or if they were only policies to protect the peace process, permanently dilapidated, and maintain the status quo of the occupation while meeting the basic requirements of survival of the Palestinian population. The study highlights the evolution of the European political support to the Palestinian people by highlighting the evolution of EU foreign policy towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the institutions responsible for the development cooperation with third countries within the Union. This research relates to the aid granted by the EU to the Palestinians for the period extending from 1993 to 2014. It highlights a set of results, the most important is that this aid has played a prominent role in avoiding the collapse of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and in helping the Palestinian people. It has diversified over the years, both in quantity and quality, to fit the political, economic and humanitarian situation in the OPT. It contributed to the successful reforms carried out by the PNA in several sectors, and has further supported the Palestinian national development plans. However, this aid has not succeeded to curb the de-development policies systematically practiced by the occupation or to put pressure on Israel. This research underlines that this aid will not achieve its objectives, including that of the establishment of a viable Palestinian state coexisting with the State of Israel in peace and security, as long as the EU does not use its economic power and does not turn its rhetoric into concrete action on the ground.

Mgr. Soňa Fryščáková The aims and objectives of the European Union information policy (with a focus on librarianship in the institutional structure of the European Union) (dissertation thesis) (Směřování a cíle informační politiky Evropské unie (se zaměřením na knihovnictví v rámci institucionální struktury Evropské unie) Abstract This thesis is focused on the analysis of the selected libraries (and the other information services) of the European Union Institution, in particular the analysis of their current situation with an aim to address a proposal for their further development. The proposal points out problematic areas within the libraries' operation and prepares suggestions to the program goals of the information policy of the libraries of EU Institutions. The first part is devoted to the EU information policy in general and presents the development of the information society in the context of the European Union. The next section describes the information services of the EU Institutions. Specifically, those are libraries of selected EU institutions and also the Historical Archives of the European Union and the professional association of European libraries Eurolib. The last part deals with analysis of the information strategy of the EU institutions and with the solution that represent program aims of...

Forced labour presents a severe human rights violation and affects about 27.6 million people worldwide. Most forced labour in the private economy takes place in businesses linked to the global market economy. In efforts against forced labour, it is therefore crucial to address the role of business operations in global supply chains. The European Commission has presented a proposal for a ban on products made with forced labour on the EU market which applies to all companies and industries. Although this initiative has been welcomed broadly the proposal has served as a topic for political debate in the EU. Stakeholders have contrasting views on what would serve as the most effective solution to the problem and, indeed, what actually constitutes the problem. Research on policy design acknowledge that the way a problem is framed and understood determines which kind of solutions will be deemed as appropriate. This thesis aims to understand the foundations of how the European Commission perceives the problem by conducting a frame analysis of the proposal focusing in turn on how the problem is framed, which actors are included, and how causes and solutions are framed. The frame analysis reveals that the Commission’s framing of the problem is ambiguous and twofold - it includes aspects of human rights perspectives as well as market and trade perspectives. The aim of the proposal is to contribute to the eradication of forced labour, but it also addresses the issue of distortion on the internal EU market and on removing unfair competition. Although the proposal fails to address some of the underlying root causes of forced labour this initiative, together with other legal measures in the business and human rights field, presents an important step towards keeping companies accountable for their adverse human rights impacts.

Mankind has worked with the climate crisis and other sustainability issues since the 1990s, but this hasn’t had any desired effect. One of the problems relates to interpretations of the term sustainability. It has caused confusion, and work towards developing shared understandings is still an ongoing process. Sustainability challenges pertain to all industries. The Swedish water sector faces several challenges today. One of these challenges relates to the need for investments in the Swedish water and wastewater (W&WW) pipelines. The growing population requires an expanded W&WW network, and the existing network needs to be updated to maintain a high-quality product.  As part of the EU’s Green Deal for making the European economy more sustainable and more resilient the EU-taxonomy has been developed to put political goals into practices and measurements of performance. The role of the Taxonomy is to pave the way towards what currently is perceived as environmental sustainability. This creates transparency and simplifies investments to lead to more sustainable choices.  The aim of this study was to investigate how the EU-taxonomy affects the Swedish construction of W&WW pipelines and how this can be used in strategic sustainability efforts. This was done through research on both W&WW pipe construction and sustainability frameworks. A case study has been used to acquire a picture of how existing routines stand in relation to the EU-taxonomy. The objects of the case study have been one consulting firm in urban development and one public actor, responsible for developing the municipality’s W&WW network, a so-called VA-huvudman. To further contextualize the EU-taxonomy, the theoretical Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) has been applied. This is a research-based framework, as opposed to a political one – such as the EU-taxonomy or Agenda 2030. The framework has been used to understand what the EU-taxonomy can contribute as a tool for the strategic work with FSSD. Standardization has also been applied as a concept, in order to highlight the use of the EU-taxonomy.  In the empirical study, the result shows that the structure of the EU-taxonomy makes it difficult to apply it on a subject as specific as a W&WW pipeline construction. Furthermore, the criteria within the Taxonomy challenging to apply on W&WW pipelines since they apply to the entire water, or water treatment, system. Further work with the Taxonomy requires more horizontal coordination within the organizations to report on and fulfill the criteria.  Since the EU-taxonomy lacks a life cycle perspective it doesn’t include the whole life cycle or indirect activities related to W&WW pipeline construction, such as choice of material or the construction process. A complementary framework, or other measures, are needed in order to capture environmental aspects of sustainability. / Människan har kontinuerligt arbetat med klimatfrågan och andra hållbarhetsfrågor sedan 90-talet,men detta har fått en begränsad effekt. Hållbarhet är ett ord som skapat förvirring, och ettgemensamt språk är något som efterfrågats. Den svenska vattensektorn möter idag ett antalutmaningar. Det stora investeringsbehovet inom det svenska vatten- och avlopps (VA)-nätet ärett av dessa. Den ökande befolkningen kräver en utbyggnad av VA-nätet och det befintliga nätetbehöver upprustas för att bibehålla kvaliteten på vattenleveranserna. EU-taxonomin är del av EU:sgröna giv vars syfte är att göra den Europeiska ekonomin mer hållbar och resilient. Taxonominsär inom detta ett klassificeringssystem för miljömässigt hållbara investeringar inom EU. Dettaska leda till transparens samt styra kapital mot mer hållbara alternativ genom att förenkla förinvesterare att fatta mer hållbara val. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur kraven i EU-taxonomin ser ut för ledningsarbeten in-om vatten och avlopp (VA-ledning), och hur dessa kan användas på ett strategiskt sätt för att stärkahållbarhetsanpassningar inom samhällsbyggandet. Detta har genomförts genom en omvärldsanalysav både VA-ledning och olika befintliga hållbarhetsramverk. En fallstudie har använts för att få enbild av hur befintliga rutiner förhåller sig till EU-taxonomin. Fallobjekten i studien har varit ettkonsultföretag inom samhällsbyggnad samt en aktör som är ansvarig för en kommuns VA-nät, ens.k. VA-huvudman. Utöver avgränsningen att undersöka ledningsarbeten inom VA-branschen harprojektet begränsats till de två första delegerade akterna med klimatinriktning som publiceratsinom ramen för EU-taxonomin. För att sätta EU-taxonomin i ytterligare en kontext har det teoretiska ramverket Frameworkfor Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) använts. Detta är ett forskningsbaserat ramverktill skillnad från politiskt beslutat, som både EU-taxonomin, Parisavtalet och Agenda 2030är. Ramverket har använts för att undersöka hur EU-taxonomin kan användas i det strategiskahållbarhetsarbetet. Standardisering har även lyfts som ett koncept och används för att belysaEU-taxonomin i en större kontext. Resultatet visar att VA-ledning är en begränsad del av större system inom EU-taxonomin.Aktiviteterna i taxonomin som innefattar VA-ledning är också kopplade till hela vatten- ochavloppssystemet i sin helhet. Denna utformning gör det svårt att enkelt urskilja separata delarav ledningssystemet eftersom aktiviteterna inte är utformade så. Att rapportera på de för VA-verksamheterna relevanta aktiviteterna i taxonomin kommer därmed kräva samarbete från fleraparter, möjligen även utanför VA-organisationen. EU-taxonomin saknar även ett livscykelperspektiv. Den inkluderar inte hela livscykeln el-ler indirekta aktiviteter inom VA-ledning, som materialval eller byggprocessen. För att beaktahållbarhet i en vidare bemärkelse krävs därför en komplettering av något annat ramverk ellerandra åtgärder. Genom EU-taxonomin gör EU en ansats att definiera det miljömässigt hållbaravilket kan bidra till att främja en hållbar utveckling, särskilt om det används strategiskt ochkompletteras med andra hållbarhetsramverk som beaktar fler aspekter ur ett livscykelperspektiv. En hypotes för framtida forskning på området kan dock vara att EU-taxonomin inte kan användassom ett fullständigt hållbarhetsramverk med fokus på miljöaspekter på ett mindre system än den beskrivna aktiviteten. Det bör undersökas vidare hur EU-taxonomin kan kompletteras med etteller flera hållbarhetsramverk för att i större utsträckning främja hållbarhet.

The rule-making power of the European Commission, dissertation Mgr. Mgr. Jiří Lenfeld, M.A.; supervisor: doc. JUDr. Richard Král, Ph.D., LL.M. Charles University, Faculty of Law, Department of European Law Prague, March 2013 The aim of the dissertation is to analyse the role of the European Commission in the legislative process of the European Union with the focus on procedures for adoption of legally binding Union acts. The European Commission is one of the main institutions of the European Union. It represents and upholds the interests of the EU as a whole and manages the day-to-day business of implementing EU policies. However, to limit the role of the European Commission to that of an executive body would be misleading. Its role in the EU institutional system is much broader than that. The European Commission is the most important legislator among the EU institutions and is also empowered with an almost exclusive power to submit drafts of EU legal acts. The rule-making power of the European Commission could be seen from two different points of view. In a narrow sense of the word it could be seen as a power conferred on the European Commission by the Treaties to propose drafts and to adopt EU legal acts implementing legally binding Union acts. However, the exercise of the rule-making power may...